Ahead of the hearing, around a dozen Greenpeace activists rallied in front of the German-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in the northern port city of Hamburg.

Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, told AFP there were "enough grounds for an immediate release" of the 30 detained environmentalists who face prison terms in Russia on hooliganism charges.

"Fifty days in prison for trying to hang a banner that says 'stop the destruction of our planet' is already a long time," he said.

Russia's angry response after two Greenpeace activists scaled a state-owned Gazprom oil platform to protest at Russian energy exploration in the Arctic in mid-September has sparked an international outcry.

Russian coastguards boarded the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise icebreaker on September 19, arresting the 30 crew members, who included activists from 18 countries and two journalists, and charged them with piracy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has voiced concern to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the detentions and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has also called for the release the French national among the crew.

In Britain, Canada and Argentina, relatives and supporters of the activists including British actor Jude Law have also protested.

The crew members have been placed in pre-trial detention until November 24 and several have complained about their conditions, including being kept in isolation, cold cells and lack of suitable clothing and food.

Russian investigators last month reduced the piracy charge, which carries a maximum 15-year prison term, to hooliganism -- the same charge used against the Pussy Riot punk band for a protest performance against Putin.

The Pussy Riot action in a Moscow cathedral in February 2012 landed two band members in prison for two years.

Greenpeace has said the Arctic activists never received official papers formally lifting the piracy charge.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said after talks last week with his French counterpart that Russia would not condone attempts to "influence technically complicated and unsafe processes" associated with the extraction of natural resources.

Objects such as oil platforms are essentially "like a powder keg", he said.

During the protest in the Barents Sea, Greenpeace hitched two activists to the side of the rig.

The pair tried to scale the platform but eventually slipped into the freezing water and were recovered by the Russian coastguard.

Russian security services seized control of the activists' vessel the next day by descending on to the deck from helicopters in a commando-style raid.

Despite Russia's boycott, the hearing can go ahead regardless, as both parties to a dispute are not required to appear or defend their case under the tribunal's rules.

The court was established by the United Nations in order to help settle maritime disputes between states.

An international maritime court will rule this month whether to order Russia to release 30 crew members of a Greenpeace ship held since mid-September in a high-profile case brought by The Netherlands.

Russia, as expected, did not attend the near three-hour hearing at the German-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in the northern port city of Hamburg.

Its angry response after two Greenpeace activists scaled a state-owned Gazprom oil platform to protest at Russian oil exploration in the Arctic has sparked an international outcry.

Russian coastguards boarded the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise icebreaker on September 19, arresting the 30 crew members, who included activists from 18 countries and two journalists, initially charging them with piracy.

The Netherlands urged the tribunal, established by the United Nations to help settle maritime disputes between states, to take provisional measures, including releasing the crew and allowing the ship to sail.

Liesbeth Lijnzaad, a legal adviser for the Dutch foreign ministry, told the tribunal's judges that Russia had infringed the ship's freedom to sail and violated the crew's human rights.

Expressing regret for the empty Russian seats at the tribunal, she accused Moscow of pursuing legal action for "apparently groundless" reasons. "The disagreement is worsening and spreading," she said.

The tribunal's president Shunji Yanai said a decision on the Dutch demands would be announced on November 22.

"We're looking forward to that date and we're confident that the decision reflects many of the points that have been made," Lijnzaad said in a statement afterwards.

The crew members have been placed in pre-trial detention in Russia until November 24 and several have complained about their conditions, including being kept in isolation, cold cells and lack of adequate food and clothing.

Russian investigators last month reduced the piracy charge, which carries a maximum 15-year prison term, to hooliganism -- the same charge used against the Pussy Riot punk band for a protest performance against Putin.

The Pussy Riot action in a Moscow cathedral in February 2012 landed two band members in prison for two years.

Greenpeace has said the Arctic activists never received official papers formally lifting the piracy charge.

Jail for 'a small yellow banner'?

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said after talks last week with his French counterpart that Russia would not condone attempts to "influence technically complicated and unsafe processes" associated with the extraction of natural resources.

Objects such as oil platforms are essentially "like a powder keg", he said.

Ahead of the hearing, around a dozen Greenpeace activists had rallied in front of the tribunal building.

"As things stand, the Russian authorities propose to jail 30 men and women for two decades because a couple of peaceful protesters tried to hang a small yellow banner from the side of a 500,000-tonne oil platform," Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo said in a statement.

"In our view, there's every prospect the tribunal will order the release of the Arctic 30, pending the arbitration case that The Netherlands has filed against Russia," he added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has voiced concern to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the detentions and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has also called for the release of the French national among the crew.

In Britain, Canada and Argentina, relatives and supporters of the activists including British actor Jude Law have also protested.

Greenpeace has said that 11 Nobel Peace Prize winners have also called on Putin to see that "excessive charges of piracy" laid against 30 activists are dropped.

During the protest in the Barents Sea, Greenpeace hitched two activists to the side of the rig.

The pair tried to scale the platform but eventually slipped into the freezing water and were recovered by the Russian coastguard.

Russian security services seized control of the activists' vessel the next day by descending onto the deck from helicopters in a commando-style raid.

Stowaways threaten fisheries in the ArcticCopenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Nov 06, 2013
The increased sea temperature expected in 2100 will in itself mean that the potential number of species introduced by ships will increase more than sixfold in the Norwegian Archipelago Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. These are the findings of a new international study. Add to this the fact that the number of ships sailing in the Arctic will also increase and there is good reason to be on guard. ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency.
All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement